Directly Behind You
by The Violent Tomboy
Summary: Small doses of insanity can help keep one sane, but like all good medication, it's dangerous, even lethal, when taken in excess.
1. First Encounter

**(2013 Edit):**Well, it's been awhile, hasn't it? Yeah, I'm coming back to this. I'm going to re-edit what I have first and go on from there. I'm a bit sorry and I doubt anyone's following this, but I'm going to try to at least finish this one off as to polish off my writing skills.

* * *

As he was about to start on the first question on the Tokyo University entrance exam, Yagami Light had the nagging feeling that he was being watched.

Scratch that. Somebody with some _serious_, almost _killer_, intent was practically boring down on him. He turned his head around, and among the sea of bent heads, it was easy to see the one boy staring at him owlishly a few rows back. His appearance alone was unsettling enough: unnaturally pale skin, unkempt hair, scruffy clothes, and, above all, the piercing, intelligent eyes that showed that he had a clear, distinct purpose that he had every intention of carrying out.

Light put his attention back to his paper. He didn't have a clue why this guy was staring at him like this, but he had to focus on his exam for now. The intent seemed to have somewhat died down for now. Ryuk began to chuckle, and Light's eyebrow gave a small twitch of annoyance before he realized something else. Now that the major intent was gone, there was a smaller one, less hostile, but nevertheless there. He turned to the other side, and there was a young woman staring at him from one row back. She seemed normal enough, dressed casually, with long, slightly wavy hair and wide eyes. She was staring at him with what could almost be called a stupefied expression, one of shock, as if he was something she didn't expect to see.

Light frowned, but when Ryuk moved towards her, her gaze followed the monstrous shinigami.

_She can see him. She can _see_ Ryuk_, Light realized with horror. He definitely had never met this girl before, so there was no way she had touched the Death Note to be able to see Ryuk. He tensed, waiting for her to fall off her chair and start screaming. After all, he had done the same thing when he first met the shinigami, but to his amazement, she stayed silent, and just continued to gape.

There was no way anybody could be that controlled after seeing something like Ryuk for the first time. Had she seen something like shinigami before…?

"You'd better focus on your test. You do want to do well, don't you?" Ryuk said, sounding highly amused. The woman nodded faintly, still dazed before bending down her head to start her exam. Light doubted she'd be able to do well after this little exchange, but he pushed all other thoughts and worries out of his head for now. He had an exam to pass himself.

L wasn't exactly sure what was just happened between Light and that girl, but he decided that a little research on her might prove a little useful on his task of discovering and capturing Kira.

* * *

The moment they were allowed to leave the room after the exam time was over, Light headed straight towards her. He couldn't talk to Ryuk now when he was among all these people, so there wouldn't be any straight answer from him. But the girl saw him coming and her eyes flickered between him and Ryuk several times. She froze for a moment, as if she couldn't decide whether she wanted to go to them or run away. Clenching her small fists, she made her decision, and ran off.

All the while, L was watching, his mind whirring off a mile a minute.

* * *

Flicking on the light in his room, Light sat at his desk and wasted no time getting to the point. "Who was she? How could she see you?"

Ryuk made himself comfortable on Light's bed. "How should I know?" was the answer.

Light sighed, and reached into his bag to pull out an apple. Ryuk's bulging eyes bulged even further before relenting.

"Light, what do you think of the Death Note?" he asked, fidgeting slightly with the eagerness at the thought of getting an apple.

"You mean other than it's what's going to help me cleanse the world of filth?" Light answered with a question of his own, taking a pen to safely remove the false bottom in his drawer.

"The Death Note is a powerful thing, something that defies all human logic in its workings," Ryuk said. "A shinigami, something that most people would dismiss as an imaginary creature and one is in your room talking to you right now."

"Your point?" Light said, starting to get impatient as he placed the supernatural notebook on top of his desk.

Ryuk laughed. "My point is, doesn't it get you wondering? If things like Death Notes and shinigami are real, why not the other things that you humans consider nothing more than myths and fairy tales? Things beyond what you consider to be reality?"

Light narrowed his eyes.

"I could exchange my eyes with you, and you could see anyone's name, which is a useful ability. However, there are some people with other kinds of eyes, natural abilities, that let them see things that others can't. That woman probably has a powerful sixth sense."

"A sixth sense?" Light said, deciding Ryuk was being uncharacteristically helpful right now. He tossed the shinigami the apple, who caught it and immediately took a big bite. "As in being able to see spirits?"

"You got it."

Light opened the notebook to a clean page. His first impulse was to kill her, but unfortunately he didn't know her name. What was stopping her from telling anybody what she saw? When he stopped to think more clearly for a moment, his mind raced with possibilities. It was unlikely anybody would believe her, and judging from her reactions, he doubted she would tell anyone anyway. She was probably hiding something of her own, perhaps something supernatural as Ryuk implied. What kind of experience could she have? And most importantly, could he manipulate the girl and the situation in anyway to further his dream of becoming God?

Light knew that he had to meet up with her sometime in the very near future.

* * *

Higurashi Kagome lay on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. How long had it been since she seen something like that leathery blue creature? It had been nearly seven years since she had first fell down the well, six since she had been trapped in her own side. She missed her friends terribly. Had Miroku and Sango finally gotten married? How was Shippo doing now that she wasn't around to spoil him rotten? And Inuyasha…

Kagome flipped over and buried her face into her pillow. She missed him so _much_. That loudmouth, rude, arrogant _jerk_ that she had grown to love. The pointless fights they had, the tender moments they shared before it was usually ruined, the rides on his back, the way he would look just so darn _cool_ when he just killed whatever was threatening her, with his long silver hair blowing in the wind with the Tessaiga resting against his shoulder…

She sighed. Ever since she was stuck in her world, an empty hollowness seemed to eat her from the inside that no amount of hot water, good food, or anything could fill up.

So when she saw that thing in the exam room, she really didn't know what to make of it. Sure, it did distract her and fat chance she was getting into Tokyo U now when her chances were already incredibly slim, but she realized that a little part of her was a little happy.

Kagome frowned. Why the heck was she happy? That thing was probably dangerous! But why was it hanging around that boy? It seemed that he knew of its presence and he was undisturbed by it…

"Kagome?" a voice called from outside her door. "Are you alright?"

"Yes mama," Kagome called back, and she whispered to herself. "I think I am now."


	2. Chances

Kagome desperately wanted to see that strange youkai again for reasons she wasn't quite sure of, but she didn't have a clue on how. She wasn't too worried though; past experience told her that she was a magnet for weird shit and things like this were never a one shot encounter.

She didn't expect to see it at the Tokyo University entrance ceremony, mostly because she genuinely surprised at her acceptance. Only a tiny percentage got in, and even tinier got in on their first try. Kagome had been attending a local college for the past few years to build up her credits and chances, hoping to tip the scales a bit into her favor.

A man on stage announced that the opening acceptance speech would be read aloud by the two top scorers, which was unusual as it was normally just one. A Yagami Light and a Ryuuga Hideki. Kagome rarely made herself familiar with the current news, but she wondered why a famous actor would be attending college. Looking at 'Ryuuga', though, she knew he wasn't the same guy, as this one was one of the most eccentric-looking people she had ever seen, which was impressive when all her adventures came into account.

Turning to see the other, she was surprised to see the boy and the youkai again, but not shocked this time.

* * *

Ryuk wasn't particularly interested in listening to the acceptance speech that Light had to read for the sake of tradition, so he scanned the audience, hoping for something to catch his attention. It seemed that nobody else was paying attention to the speech either; they were all whispering to each other, making comments about the two geniuses who managed to get top scores on one of the most notoriously difficult tests in existence.

He spotted her again; the woman that had seen him before. It was a simple matter picking her out of the crowd; she was the only one who was looking straight at him. Ryuk glanced at the name that was floating above her head: Higurashi Kagome. Definitely her.

She wasn't as tense as she was last time, as there was a tiny, nervous smile on her face. She gave him a small wave, and Ryuk chuckled and waved back with a bony hand.

There was no break in Light's voice as he continued to read, but Ryuk knew that the self-proclaimed god hadn't missed out on the small exchange. When Light sat back down so that 'Ryuuga Hideki' could read the rest of the speech, Light immediately zeroed in on the girl. The girl seemed slightly uncomfortable under his scrutiny, and fidgeted slightly in her seat before managing a nervous smile for him as well.

Ryuuga's eyes flickered between her and Light for a moment when he was done with his portion of the speech.

Light resolved to meet her as soon as the ceremony was over, but his plans flew out of his head when 'Ryuuga Hideki' informed him of L's true identity.

* * *

Kagome saw him walking away after the ceremony; his expression seemingly calm and empty. But she sensed that there was something brewing underneath the façade, especially when he walked passed her without noticing her.

She really wanted to talk to him, but she decided to wait. There'd be plenty of other chances now that she knew for sure that both of them were to attend the same college.

As the boy, Yagami Light, walked away, his youkai companion grinned at her, flashing every single one of his too sharp teeth.

"See you around."

The boy still hadn't noticed her when his companion spoke. Something serious must have been really been shut up tight inside.

* * *

The next time Kagome found the boy and the youkai was during a tennis match between the top two scorers of the entry exam. There was a rather large crowd watching the match, all of whom were clearly impressed. One boy mentioned how Light had been the national middle school champion.

The youkai was leaning against the fence, watching the spectacle with interest, partially for another reason.

Nobody was behind the fence where the youkai stood, so Kagome wormed her fingers through the wiring and held on tight. This was the moment she had been waiting for. She had desperately wanted to talk to him ever since she had seen him, and now that she finally had her chance, she was too happy to worry about any problems that this would probably fling her into later.

A tiny voice in the back of her head told her that that was exactly what she wanted.

Taking a deep breath, she said, "Hello there. My name's Higurashi Kagome. What's yours?"

The youkai turned around, and seeing her there, he let out a great cackle of laughter. "I was hoping to have a real conversation with you sometime. I am Ryuk, a shinigami."

* * *

L, or 'Ryuuga Hideki', his current alias, had both his mind and body going into overdrive as he gave everything he had into a game of tennis against his only suspect in the Kira case. Sweat flew off of his face as he dashed around the court and smashed the ball against the racket. So far, Light was showing the main trait that L had deduced Kira of having: an extreme overwhelming competitiveness that would refuse defeat at all costs. Chance that Light was actually Kira went up by one percent.

Then he saw the girl behind Light, at the other side of the wire fence.

In a split second, his well-processed mind went over the information that he had gathered on her.

He wasn't exactly sure why he thought she would be relevant to the Kira case at all, that this was all simply paranoia, but as Light was his only suspect, anything strange around him would probably help.

Then again, he wasn't even sure if she even had anything to do with him.

Higurashi Kagome, born July second, 1982. Place of residence, Higurashi Shrine, a Shinto shrine that had been directly in her family for well over four centuries. Family consisted of a mother, grandfather, and younger brother. Her father had died about fifteen years ago in a car accident.

Nothing too unordinary there, but her school records were a bit more eyebrow-raising (except that he didn't have any). Her middle school records stated that she used to be a very capable student, making it to the top 30 in Japan, but her grades plummeted like a rock in her third year. This was contributed to her shocking amount of illnesses, half of which either didn't exist or were impossible to have, leading her to be absent for extended periods of time.

L doubted that she was ever really sick, and wondered what exactly Kagome was hiding to have needed all those excuses.

Strangely enough, when she was in high school, her illnesses had apparently stopped, she attended classes at a regular basis like any other student, and while her grades never quite regained their former glory, they were good enough. She also surprisingly picked up archery out of seemingly nowhere and came to be the high school national champion three years running.

A mystery indeed.

In the split second that L processed the information, it proved a distraction enough, and the tennis ball flew right past his head and clanged against the fence.

Light won.

As he shook the victor's hand, his eyes slid past Light's shoulder. The woman, smiling brightly as the sun, said something to thin air before skipping off like a child. Light turned his head to see where L was looking, and appeared surprised to see her.

Very surprised.

After a moment, Light suggested that they go get some coffee, and L eagerly agreed.

Both of them were thinking the same thing.

Weird girl later, figure out possible and probable enemy in front of him right now.


	3. Meeting

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**Man, this chapter took awhile to write. (Darn, I couldn't add L in this chapter!) I'm really getting into this story now, and I've got a whole bunch of future scenarios in rough draft right now, so maybe updates won't take so long. I'm just wondering which ones I should put into the story.**

**For future references, I think I'm going to slip in Easter eggs into this story; to be more exact, references from other shows. Don't worry, this is definitely a dominantly an IY/DN story, but you might catch other things that might seem vaguely familiar. Not going to point them out though, and I probably won't do it in every chapter. I just happen to be a big crossover junkie.**

**Speaking of crossovers, nearly all crossovers these days suck balls. Can anybody recommend me some decent crossovers? Most IY ones. One that doesn't involve a super-powerful Kagome with all the guys falling for her. And no betrayal and Kikyou bashing. **

**Crossovers from other fandoms would also be appreciated. Also not involving super-powerful main characters, betrayal, and bashing.**

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Stepping out of the locker room, Kagome closed her eyes. One hand rested on her temple while the other clutched her heart.

_Blood splattering the ground, terrified screams, empty eyes, corpses scattered and strewn everywhere, both human and youkai…_

_A giant boomerang flying through the air, an endless black void sucking all in its path, an elephantine blade shooting out great beams of yellow light…_

Every time she touched a bow and arrow, she was picking at the scab in her heart, allowing it to fester up and bleed again. Every time she touched a bow and arrow, painful memories of days long gone flooded her mind, making her desperately wish to actually relive those moments.

She'd been part of the archery team upon joining high school, and practiced whenever she could, and sometimes practiced when she should have been doing something else.

Kagome was probably going to follow the same routine in college.

As Kagome walked away with her arms wrapped around herself, the archery team captain, a kind-faced older girl with short blonde hair and glasses, watched her. Worry and concern etched her features, wondering why the younger girl was forcing herself into an activity that brought nothing but mental anguish to her own person.

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Kagome could remember all the times she had cheered people up, bringing a little light into their dark lives. The people who had been shunned and lonely, she had went to them all and smiled at them when she had seen who they really were.

Now, Kagome needed a savior for herself. She couldn't do it on her own.

When she saw Ryuk floating down the streets towards her, her spirits lifted up considerably.

If the shinigami was her vision of a savior, she was even more fucked up then she originally thought.

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Light saw the girl, and determined not to lose this chance, walked up to her. Ryuk hadn't disclosed any information on her to him, despite the fact that he knew that the shinigami had already had a conversation with her. She saw him saw some distance off, and her eyes shone with genuine happiness.

Holding out his hand, Light pasted his most charming smile onto his face. "My name is Yagami Light. It's a pleasure to meet you."

The girl took his hand and shook it. "I'm Higurashi Kagome. Nice to meet you, too."

Kagome then looked up to the shinigami. "I'm happy to see you again, Ryuk."

Ryuk let out a peal of (good-hearted?) laughter.

"So you really can see him…" Light said quietly.

Something welled up inside of Kagome's chest, releasing the bits of her she thought long dead. Her old self.

"I've never met another human here that was involved in things like this," she said cheerfully. "It's really nice knowing that."

"Things like this?"

Kagome nodded vigorously, letting out a childish giggle as she did so.

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Light took her to the same café that he had taken Ryuuga to previously, to the same secluded table. Being the (manipulative) gentleman he was, he treated her to the coffee. Kagome reached into her bag and fished out a small plastic container. Light raised an eyebrow.

"For Ryuk," she said simply, opening it to reveal apple slices. "He told me he liked them."

"Ooh!" Ryuk said eagerly, reaching out for the container and plucking out a slice. He popped it into his mouth whole and chewed for a few moments before swallowing and taking another.

"Next time, just give me the whole apple," Ryuk said with his mouth full. Kagome stifled her laughter with her hand. Looked like she was still fond of treating supernatural creatures to their favorite foods.

"How can you see Ryuk, Higurashi-san?"

Kagome stared into her reflection inside her cup, noting the small, sad smile flickering on her face. She stirred her coffee; her face disappeared amidst the swirls and ripples.

"I was really surprised after I first saw Ryuk, but after that first shock, I realized that I was a little happy, relieved really," she said softly, her eyes still downcast. Light sipped his own coffee, silently urging her to continue. Ryuk chuckled, inadvertently spitting small bits of apple onto Light's head as he did. Light spared a moment to glare at the shinigami while brushing off the fruit from his hair.

"After it was all over, I had nothing to show for it. All I could do was pick up from scratch in a world I gave up on for a world that gave me up in the end. Sometimes I cry in my bed because it hurt so much. I couldn't talk to anybody, because people would just think I'm crazy," Kagome continued, a single tear threatening to spill out of her eye. She was speaking more to herself than to him, Light realized, but she needed somebody else to listen to her. She had some immense pain bottled up inside of her, and if she didn't release it, it would destroy her from within.

"I've been living the past few years with nothing happening, just the same old things everyday. I couldn't stand it. All I have left of my past are my scars and my memories, and they both fade away a little more as time goes on. It's not like I'm forgetting some long-lost dream. I'm slipping away from reality. Things that can't be explained really do exist, I've encountered so many, but now I'm expected to ignore all that. That's why I was so happy to see Ryuk. It confirmed to me that I'm still here…"

Ryuk was enjoying himself; this girl was entertaining him immensely. Light watched the tears fall earnestly now. She was sniffling almost pathetically, and he reached for a napkin from the dispenser and handed it to her. Kagome whispered her thanks before taking it to blow her nose like a foghorn.

Light's mind was already racing, debating whether or not it would be best to kill her. She probably didn't know now, but how long would it be until she figured out he was Kira? As for now, it was too early to know whether or not she was a supporter. The one real danger now was that 'Ryuuga' had been tailing him like a fox lately, and it was only luck that the insomniac wasn't with him today. If L happened to meet this girl in the future...

While having spiritual powers was certainly a rare ability, it was one he could hardly exploit. What use would they be to him? Why did he ever think that they might be some use to him? Whatever her past was, it meant nothing, and he wasn't particularly interested in hearing the rest. Really, now that he thought about it, the only reason he hadn't killed her right away was because one, he didn't know her name before, and two, he had been curious about her. But now that his curiosity was pretty much fulfilled...

Best not to take chances.

Pulling out a small scrap of the Death Note and a pen from his pocket, he asked, "You know, you can call me anytime. Want to give me your phone number?"

Kagome smiled gratefully as she gave him her home phone number. She didn't have a cell phone; she didn't have any friends worth calling.

Pretending to write down her information, Light instead played the same ploy he had done on Misora Naomi. He arranged to have her have purely suicidal thoughts for a whole day before killing herself. Her death would be easy to dismiss; she obviously wasn't a happy-go-lucky person, even if she had been happy enough to meet him and Ryuk.

The moment he finished the final letter, Light's eyes widened. The words shone briefly a dim pink before disappearing entirely.

"Ah!" Kagome let out a small gasp, clutching her heart as she did so.

Ryuk, who of course had seen everything, nearly went into convulsions. "You alright?" he asked between his laughter.

A sheepish grin on her face, Kagome straightened up. "It's nothing. Just felt like I had heart burn for a second. It's gone now, though. Kind of weird, but I'm alright."

Light kept staring at the blank piece of paper, unable to comprehend what just happened.

"Hey, Yagami-kun, what about you?" Kagome said, looking concerned. Light blinked, before shaking his head.

"Nothing."

"You know, it was really nice meeting you," Kagome said, standing up. "Thanks for the coffee. And for listening to me. We're going to meet up again sometime, right?"

Light fisted the scrap, looking at her with fresh eyes. What on earth was she? The Death Note had no effect on her…she defied him…she defied God…

"Right."


	4. Basket Eye

**Yeah, I changed the name and summary 'cause I pulled the originals out of my ass when I was kind of brain dead. Like the new ones a lot better, they do have a lot of significance to the story, and I ain't changing them.**

**Disclaimer: Why bother? Don't own the series. But a decent anime store finally opened in my neighborhood! Oh, you _Icha Icha Paradise _carrying bag, you WILL be mine!**

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As Kagome walked down the street from the cafe, she noticed a man banging his fist against a building in frustration. The man was rather scruffy looking, stubble over his chin and his graying hair needing a good combing. His shoulders were shaking.

Nobody else on the street took any notice of him.

"Excuse me, are you alright, sir?" Kagome asked softly, carefully placing a hand on his back. The man reacted violently to her touch and whirled around to face her. The eyes behind the thick-rimmed glasses, with tears still streaming from them, were wide with shock.

"You-you can…" the man started to say, but he shook his head. Kagome wasn't sure what exactly what he was about to say about her.

"Um, do you need something?"

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Both of them took a seat at a bench at a nearby park. In front of them, several children had held hands and formed a circle, singing and dancing…

**_"Kagome, kagome…"_**

"Well, you see, a couple of years ago, I got into a really bad gambling debt, and there was no way I could have possibly paid it off," the man started, his back hunched as he spoke and his eyes down on the ground. "My creditor was part of a yakuza group, and he said that if I didn't turn up with the money, he'd easily have me and my family killed."

**_"...kago no naka no tori wa…"_**

"Oh," Kagome said, not sure what else to say. For now, she knew that it was best to simply listen to get a little weight off of the man's chest, just like how Yagami-kun had done the same for her.

"The only way to pay it off was to actually join the yakuza itself. I ended up being a low subordinate, doing some of the dirtiest jobs for them. Theft, kidnap, arson, murder, you name it. I was in the front lines doing the worst shit ever."

**_"…itsu itsu deyaru?"_**

There was a bitter smile on his face as he clenched his hands. Kagome's eyes softened.

"What about your family?"

The man looked up at the clear blue sky. "I didn't want them to be involved, so I cut off all times with them the moment I joined. I haven't seen them since."

**_"Yaoke to bani ni…"_**

He laughed. "But when all this Kira business started up, I grew afraid. Really, really afraid. I thought I'd be the next kill. Not to mention it made me realize how sick I was of my life."

"Kira?" Kagome repeated, furrowing her brow in thought. "Where did I hear that before?"

**_"…tsuru to kame ga subetta…"_**

The man's jaw dropped to the ground. "How do you not know about Kira?"

"Um, I never watch TV and I'm almost always at the archery range when I'm not doing my homework…" Kagome answered, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

**_"…ushiro no shomen dare?"_**

The man palmed his face. "How the hell do you not know about the guy who's killing off all the criminals with heart attacks? Didn't you see that time when he killed that guy on live television?"

"Um, no?"

**_"Kagome, kagome…"_**

The man looked rather comically dumfounded. "You really need to look into the news more often, kid."

Kagome let out a small laugh. "I suppose I do. Something like that…" her eyes narrowed. "How on earth is this Kira person doing this? Nobody should be able to give people heart attacks if he wants to…"

**_"...when, oh when…"_**

"Who knows? All I knew is that I was probably next on his list with all the shit I've done. I was scared, and I figured the best thing to do was to turn myself in. Maybe Kira would forgive me if I did, and maybe I'd get a chance to see my family again one last time…"

**_"…will the caged bird be released?"_**

Tears were streaming from his eyes again. "But I guess I didn't deserve a second chance."

"Everybody deserves a second chance. You can still do things," Kagome insisted firmly.

The man faced her, a sad smile on his face. "It's too late. I can't do anything. I suppose all I can do now is move on. But can you do me a favor?"

**_"At the first light of dawn and twilight…"_**

"What kind of favor?" she asked.

He reached into his jacket and pulled out a photograph, worn and yellow with age. It depicted an image of the man, younger and happier looking, with a pretty woman next to him. A small, laughing girl was in his arms. He turned the picture over, where a message was messily scrawled:

_My dear, sweet family. No matter what happens, I always loved you, and still do._

"Can you give this to my family since I can't do it myself?" he asked imploringly, holding out the photo. "Just to let them know."

Kagome's heart was moved. A small smile was on her face as she took it. She never could resist the chance to help one in need. "Sure."

He told her their names and addresses, which Kagome quickly wrote down on a piece of paper. It was only a few blocks away from their current location. A peaceful, content expression was on his face.

_**"...and when the turtle and the crane slip and fall…"**_

"I can't tell you how grateful I am. I so happy, so very happy, that somebody who could see me could help me out this way, too," he said, taking off his glasses to better wipe off his tears of joy. Kagome was startled at his words, the photo still in her hand.

"See you…?"

"Well, I guess I can pass on now," the man said, and with that, he shimmered away into nothingness, his smile the last thing to go.

**_"…who is it who is directly behind you?"_**

Her mouth agape, Kagome stared at the spot where the man she had conversed with sat just a moment ago. Before she could consider the possibility that she was hallucinating, she looked back at her hand, where the younger version of the man was smiling with his family in that frozen moment of time.

"You're a funny lady."

Kagome looked up to see a small boy, who had strayed from his dancing friends.

"I thought big people didn't have imaginary friends."

"Imaginary friends…?" Kagome started to say, before the truth slammed into her, sending her reeling. Her hand flew to her mouth to stifle her horrified gasp.

_Oh my god, all this time, and I didn't realize…_

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In L's hotel room, the detective was delicately holding a fork in between his fingers, a large chunk of strawberry cheesecake thrust into the prongs. Crouching on his chair, his eyes roamed over the officers.

"Anything new?" Chief Yagami said, rubbing his temples.

"Not much, sir," Matsuda replied, holding a folder full of reports. "All there is that there have been five criminals that were killed in prison yesterday, and one body was found in Shibuya. He's been identified as an active yakuza member."

He handed Yagami the folder. The chief flipped through the files, stopping at the one on the found body. The picture of a man with graying hair and glasses solemnly looked back at him.

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Kagome went inside the internet cafe, requesting a hour's worth of time on a computer. Sitting down, she reflected how she had carefully slipped the photograph into the gap underneath the door, fulfilling a dead man's final wish. She left, not waiting for anybody to catch her in the act, not waiting to see how a heartbroken wife reacted to a husband she thought long dead and only confirmed it this morning.

Kagome supposed that she really should keep herself well-aware of the current news, but she never bothered or was remotely interested in anything around her. When she quickly found the discussion forums, she realized exactly how cut off she was from the rest of the world, because it was nearly impossible to be unaware of something like this.

Criminals dying of heart attacks left and right were certainly something unusual, and everybody agreed that someone, someone the Net had dubbed 'Kira', was smiting the criminals of the world through supernatural means.

Nearly everybody in the forums was praising Kira for protecting them and calling him a god, and when Kagome found a list of all the known criminals to have died via heart attacks, she had to admit, the crimes were all terrible, and a majority of them had escaped corporal punishment, either by successfully being on the run or hiring really, _really _good lawyers. However, when she found that many of them were already in prison when they died, she didn't understand why Kira was killing those already serving time. He was killing people before they had a chance to redeem themselves.

One anti-Kira post said that there were rumors that the supposed god had killed good FBI officers. The others attacked him saying the officers deserved it for attempting to stop him, but Kagome was disturbed. And when she came across a video clip showing how Lind L. Taylor died on live television, she knew that Kira was nothing but an egotistic with a god-complex.

He might have had good intentions, but she knew that things like this could never work out in the long run if he really was just a mere mortal. Power like this couldn't be trusted to any.

She closed her eyes, resting her head on the keyboard. She never did believe in retribution.

No human being should be allowed to wield such power.

Despite the fact she had these thoughts, a shiver of excitement ran through her body. The same shiver she had when she first saw Ryuk.

The shinigami.

The death god that came down to earth several months ago.

Criminals dying everywhere, beginning several months ago.

Dying of heart attacks.

Her hand strayed over to her heart, reminiscent of the slight pain that was there a mere few hours ago.

Kagome snapped her head back up as her brain connected the dots, her eyes widening. She might not have been a genius, but for somebody who was as well-versed in the supernatural as she was, it all made sense.

_No way...could it be...?_

Before she could finish that thought, the owner of the cafe, who was watching live television on his computer, screamed out, "HEY EVERYBODY! YOU'VE _GOT_ TO SEE THIS!"

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Light was quiet on the way home and was unresponsive to the shinigami behind him. When he was safely in the confines of his room, however, he proceeded to throw a raving, ranting tantrum, just like how he did when he had first met L.

_"What the hell is she?!_" he screamed, pounding his fists on his desk. "I wrote her name down, she should have died, so _why didn't she die?!"_

"You're going to die of a heart attack yourself if you keep this up," Ryuk said, enjoying the show. He really did love it when the normally levelheaded teen lost his cool. "And just to let you know, she _is_ human. The fact that I can see her name and life span confirms it. I'm guessing that she has enough spiritual power to protect herself."

His legs unable to support him, Light gave out on his only chair, grabbing his head. "Someone like her shouldn't exist...she has to die...has to..."

"Unless you're planning to stick a knife through her yourself, it looks _pretty_ unlikely," Ryuk said, chuckling at the maniac gleam in Light's eye when the boy glared at him. "Of course, a 'god' like you isn't going to get his hands dirty like that."

"I won't be made a fool of like this," Light growled. "She's got to be snuffed out...she's too dangerous to stay alive..."

"Is she really such a big threat, or is it that you just can't stand the idea that you can't kill her on a whim if you wanted to?"

Letting out a single scream and holding it (Ryuk counted thirty seconds and was impressed by the boy's lung capacity), Light slammed his hand down, hitting his remote control. The television flicked on, and the word 'KIRA' appeared on it in Cloister Black font, an obvious parody of L's own style.

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**'Kagome' is the name of a children's song that goes with a simplistic game of a bunch of people joining hands into a circle. One person is in the middle with his eyes shut, and everyone else sings and rotates around him. At the end of the song, the middle kid is asked 'who is it who is directly behind you?', and he has to guess who it is.**

**Yes, you can watch live television (limited channels last time I checked) directly onto your computer in Japan. I've done it in South Korea, too. And we can't really do that in America yet...then again, there's nothing really good on American television anymore...except maybe CSI and a couple other shows...**

**Well, looks like Misa-Misa is finally getting her debut!**

**Remember, every time you read a story, decide to keep an eye on it or just plain like it, and not review, the ozone layer gets a little bit thicker. Please think about the well-being of the earth (and not getting fried by global warming) and review. Much appreciation.  
**


	5. Confusion

This has been saved in my computer for who knows how long. Yes, I know it's been forever. I still plan on continuing this story and have plenty of ideas, but the only problem is that I really can't execute them to my satisfaction.

Looking back, I think I'm going to re-upload my other chapters to fix a few grammatical errors and make it a bit smoother.

Well, here it is.

--

There were a laptop, a desktop, and a miniature television set at his desk, all of which the owner of the café switched onto the designated channel. Every patron managed to squeeze behind the limited space behind the desk, and fought for a clear view. Kagome managed to get a spot right behind the owner's chair, albeit there were several bodies uncomfortably pressed up to her, not that she really noticed.

In a hushed silence, everybody watched as a disembodied voice, recorded on a video tape, systematically declared the names and times of his next victims to prove that he was indeed, the Kira. Several new casters died, right on schedule.

Then 'Kira' demanded the life of L, and Kagome had no doubt that whoever this person was, he would not hesitate to take a few more lives along the way.

But something nagged her about the way Kira was acting. Before she could place her finger on it, something interrupted her thoughts.

On the mini-TV, the scene switched over to Sakura TV station's entrance, where a man was beating at the doors, attempting to get in. A little over half a minute later, he let out a strangled scream, clutching at his chest. After a few desperate spasms, he fell over, dead.

"This is seriously messed up," a patron murmured, and several people nodded.

Kagome had been feeling plenty of negative feelings over the past few years: sadness, depression, loneliness, but she hadn't felt this one in awhile: complete and total helplessness. Her maternal instinct was coming back to her as well, and she would be damned if she was merely watching people die without being able to do a thing.

Of course, when a bus recklessly crashed through the front entrance of the station, she couldn't help but to let out a little mental cheer.

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Kagome had been meaning to talk to Light sometime after, but she never seemed to be able to meet up him. They had different classes, and whenever she tried looking for him afterwards, he never seemed to be around. Strange. How hard could it be to spot Ryuk towering over the hordes of students? She was sure that she had seen the shinigami several times, but he only grinned and waved to her before going off.

Kagome wondered if Light and Ryuk had anything to do with the Kira case, but somehow, she couldn't imagine either one of them killing like the one in the Sakura TV incident. True, she had only known them for a short amount of time…but then again, Ryuk was a shinigami, and was bound to have a clue about what was going on…

Sitting in the living room of her home, Kagome reached for the remote control. She never was fond of television very much, but the captain of the archery team had suggested that the younger girl take a break from the shooting range. Besides, ever since she had seen Kira's powers in action, she had been watching debates and reports on the so-called 'god'.

"And it's a stunning victory for the Deimon Devil Bats with a score of-"

_Click._

"That's right! The Three Lights' new CD finally hits stores tomorrow-"

_Click._

**_"Ka…me…ha…me…HA!"_**

_Click._

"I am Kira."

Kagome's thumb froze over the button.

"The person who sent in the tapes a few days ago is nothing more than an impersonator."

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The next Kira-related video involved the second Kira asking the first for a meeting. When the second said that they'd have to show each other their shinigami for confirmation, Kagome dropped the remote.

Nobody else would make sense of the message, but of course, she knew. She had to talk to Light and Ryuk as soon as possible.

When she looked over the schedule that had come with the video message, Kagome traced the words on screen with her finger. Most everything involved everyday activities, except for a single one:

_30th. Saw a shinigami at the Giants game at the Tokyo Dome._

That was a couple days away.

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Light sat at his desk, pondering about the latest dilemma. It was obvious that the police force would concentrate on Tokyo Dome because of the blatant shinigami reference, but at the second Kira had slight brains enough to slip in something that only he would recognize:

_22nd. Met with friend in Aoyama and exchanged notes._

"Just to let you know, if I see another shinigami, I'm not telling you," Ryuk said. Light shrugged his shoulders in response, having fully expected that comment.

"I thought you wouldn't-"

"But you could always ask that Kagome girl. She'll be able to see that other shinigami just fine, and you do have a way with the ladies."

Light's eyes flashed angrily before he screwed them shut, forcing himself to remain calm.

"It's too dangerous to use her. I don't know if she's a Kira supporter or not. If I could, I'd just control her with the Death Note and have her die afterwards…"

"But you can't," Ryuk practically sang out to him.

"I'll just have to do this myself."

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It was April twenty-third when the second Kira announced that he had already found the first. Kagome didn't have a clue of what to make of it.

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_What the hell's going on?_ Kagome thought to herself as she raised the bow.

The arrow sang through the air; it hit the first ring outside of the bull's eye. Kagome frowned before notching a second arrow. This time, it hit its mark.

Strange, she hadn't missed in ages…

"Are you alright, Higurashi-san?"

Kagome looked to the side to see the archery team captain, a serene, kind smile on her face. If Kagome didn't know any better, she'd guess that the captain actually looked a little relieved and pleased about something…

"I'm okay, Hououji-taichou. I guess I'm a little out of it," Kagome answered, lowering her bow and adjusting her yugaku glove. "Better practice a lot more."

Hououji-taichou seemed disturbed slightly at her words. "You know, Higurashi-san, if there's anything troubling you, you can always come to me to talk about it."

Kagome froze for a moment before looking straight into the captain's bright green eyes. There was a genuine sincerity in them that was rarely seen in other people, and for some reason she couldn't fathom, Kagome was sure that she'd actually understand, and not just listen as Light had done.

Of course, that was stupid. It wasn't like anybody really would.

"Thanks anyway."

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As she walked out of the changing room and into the campus, Kagome was wondering to herself exactly what made this particular practice session different from the others when she spotted Light and Ryuk. It didn't seem that the duo had yet noticed her.

Light was talking to a pale man who was sitting on his hunches on a nearby bench. Kagome remembered his to be Ryuuga Hideki, the other top scorer and Light's tennis opponent. They seemed to be having a deep conversation, and Kagome sighed, thinking that she wouldn't have a chance to converse with Light on her own. Wondering is she should wait it out, Kagome had her thoughts interrupted by a cheerful cry of "Liiiiight-kun!"

The first thing Kagome saw when she turned her head towards the direction of the shrill voice was not its source, but a large, skeletal white creature.

Kagome's breath caught in her throat. Her eyes darted towards the girl the creature was hovering behind, and seeing how nobody seemed to be freaking out by its presence anymore than Ryuk's….not to mention how it followed the girl the same way Ryuk did with Light…

_Oh god…_

The girl, a beautiful blonde, was cheerfully talking to the two boys when Ryuk finally noticed her, and waved at her. "Kagome! Got any more apples? Light hasn't been feeding me as much lately."

The white one looked alarmed, especially when Kagome's gaze was still locked on it.

Light's eyes flashed towards her, and it might have been his imagination, but did he seem very, very tense…?

The girl turned her head to face her, her expression confused. "Huh? Hey Light-kun, did-"

At that moment, someone exclaimed, "Look, it's Amane Misa! Man, she's a whole lot cuter in real life!"

A small crowd formed around the girl, and, in turn, Light and Ryuuga. Kagome thanked whatever deity was looking after her for providing the distraction, took a step back, then turned away and ran.

_Oh god, oh god, oh god…_

As Ryuuga's hand slipped into Misa's purse and pulled out her cell phone, unnoticed in the throng, he watched Kagome's back getting farther and farther away.


End file.
